Mutsvangwa scoffs at suspension

via Mutsvangwa scoffs at suspension – NewsDay Zimbabwe December 15, 2015

UNDERFIRE Zanu PF Norton legislator and War Veterans minister Chris Mutsvangwa, yesterday scoffed at his suspension for alleged indiscipline and accused fellow party members in Mashonaland West Province of defying President Robert Mugabe’s weekend directive against wanton suspension of party members without following due processes.

BY SILENCE CHARUMBIRA

His comments came after Mashonaland West deputy provincial chairperson Keith Guzah told journalists in the capital that Mutsvangwa had been suspended for gross indiscipline and disrespecting Mugabe and the party constitution.

“I can’t be seen to be bothered by madness. The President spoke about it in Victoria Falls at length. I can’t qualify what the President said. Don’t bother me,” Mutsvangwa said.

Announcing Mutsvangwa’s suspension, Guzah, who was flanked by Higher Education deputy minister Godfrey Gandawa, provincial executive member Simba Ziyambi, among others, quoted a recent story in our sister paper The Standard, where the war veterans leader was reported as denigrating the party’s commissariat department led by Saviour Kasukuwere.

“This is gross indiscipline for a member of our provincial co-ordinating committee to stand in defiant opposition of a politburo decision taken in its meeting of November 25 2015. It’s tantamount to challenging the authority of the President and First secretary of the party, His Excellency Cde R G Mugabe, who, alone, has the appointing authority of members of the politburo in terms of section 39 of the party’s constitution,” Guzah said.

“Cde Chris Mutsvangwa’s shocking and widely-publicised utterances should, therefore, attract the same judicial review in terms of the party’s constitution and must suffer the same consequences as did Jabulani Sibanda’s insolent remarks.”

The decision came hardly a week after his wife, Monica, faced a similar fate in the run-up to the just-ended Zanu PF conference held in Victoria Falls last week.

Guzah yesterday refused to answer any questions, referring them to provincial chairperson Ephraim Chengeta, who was not available for comment.